Abstract
We examined preferences of division ratios in figures divided into two parts, based on Davis and Jahnke's (1991) method. The stimulus figures are a square and six rectangles, each of which is divided by a straight (vertical or horizontal) line in six different ratios. For each of the stimulus figures, the subjects (53 university students and 49 kindergarten children) were asked to choose among the six different section ratios in order of preference. The results revealed the following points: (1) For both university students and kindergarten children, the preference rate was the highest for the ratio 1:1. (2) For university students, the second highest preference was for the ratios 1:1.618 and 1:2.098, and for kindergarten children, it was for the ratio 1:3.885. (3) For university students, in the case of the ratio 1:1, the shorter the sides which the dividing line meets at right angles become, the higher the preference rate gets.
